\/\/illy Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Here it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 What are these things retailing for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 these remind me of when cell phones first came out and how big they were...can't blackberrys and palms do everything this giant can do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I think Palms are too small. These units look like a nice fit between Palms and Laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I'm still waiting for my computer notebook. No, not a notebook computer, a computer solely for the purpose of taking notes.It'd be the size of a steno pad (9" x 6", say), and have a hinge along the long side. Open it up, and the top is the screen (greyscale), the bottom the keyboard (even a chiclet keyboard would be fine). The OS wouldn't be much, even just a command line and hierarchical file system. The main application would be a very simple text editor (which could allow you to open multiple files at once, and copy/cut/paste between them). There wouldn't be a hard drive, just a few megabytes of flash. No sound, no video, no GUI, no heavy-duty connectivity (even just a serial port or USB), the only thing it'd be for is editing text.I know Velvet has something similar, but it's more of a full-size (or close to it) typewriter keyboard with a small (only several lines) screen, and it's too big for what I want, which is to keep it in my backpack all the time, and pull it out whenever I have an idea that needs to be typed down.Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Personally I'm not terribly excited about this. Perhaps if I didn't use a laptop already this would be an appealing idea. They're supposed to retail between US$600 and US$1000.I've never understood what's so special about Blackberrys either. Right from the start I've been wondering: What's the big deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Isn't this the same thing yet better? DualCor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 guess it just depends on your needs... for example..a fabrication contractor I have do work for me in the plant I work in has a palm that has proved to be quite useful for him, when I am explaining what I want him to do for me..say modify a peice of equipment..he will take pics with it..scrible in some dimensions..make notes...he can recieve calls...and..for fun..he always shows me his naughty emails and pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartamophone Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 It'd be the size of a steno pad (9" x 6", say), and have a hinge along the long side. Open it up, and the top is the screen (greyscale), the bottom the keyboard (even a chiclet keyboard would be fine). The OS wouldn't be much, even just a command line and hierarchical file system. The main application would be a very simple text editor (which could allow you to open multiple files at once, and copy/cut/paste between them). There wouldn't be a hard drive, just a few megabytes of flash. No sound, no video, no GUI, no heavy-duty connectivity (even just a serial port or USB), the only thing it'd be for is editing text.Aloha,BradBrad,I don't pay very close attention to the industry, but do you see potential in the marketplace for something so overtly minimalist? As hand-helds are getting more and more advanced and with mp3 playback and e-mail (or at least texting) capabilities coming as standard, do you think there would be a niche for such a categorically bare-bones device? I really wonder if such a beast (or non-beast, in this case) would sell in a marketplace where people demand to have so many features crammed into tiny packages. Just my $0.02.Peace,Hart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattm Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I like it. See, the major difference here is that it uses real computer hardware. Like the UMPC will have an intel centrino in it rather than the really slow palm, etc, processors. Same with ram and (without having read much so this is an assumption), the hard drive. You get to run a full fledged windows xp instead of the CE version (much more capabilites and things can be programmed for it much easier). It's like a palm pilot on steroids.It's also a tablet pc which means it's touch screen and if you were're rich, you could put these all over your walls to control your house (mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, fully controlled smart house).They need to get slightly smaller but when they do there won't be a need for palms and blackberry's.Also, the blackberry and other little computers on those lines have very limited memory and power so when programming for them you have to be very careful to make the program as small and non-memory intensive as possible. I made a little rpg game for the blackberry where a stickman can run around a town. About 4 colors and a pretty damn small town plus I optimized the shit out of it and still there were memory problems. These little guys don't have to worry about that so much which is great for programmers looking to get into the industry. Add to this the API's (code you can use to write the programs for the little devices) for the blakberry, palm etc, are usually quite limited which means the programs also have to be limited. With this little guy someone could probably run a slightly scaled down matlab (used to mathematically model pretty much everything in the world that you see, use, etc, like planes and cars) anywhere to make field calculations that would normally have to be done with a laptop or desktop. It's a lot easier to hike around with a little guy like this than a laptop.my two cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 It'd be the size of a steno pad (9" x 6"' date=' say), and have a hinge along the long side. Open it up, and the top is the screen (greyscale), the bottom the keyboard (even a chiclet keyboard would be fine). The OS wouldn't be much, even just a command line and hierarchical file system. The main application would be a very simple text editor (which could allow you to open multiple files at once, and copy/cut/paste between them). There wouldn't be a hard drive, just a few megabytes of flash. No sound, no video, no GUI, no heavy-duty connectivity (even just a serial port or USB), the only thing it'd be for is editing text.Aloha, Brad[/quote'] Brad, I don't pay very close attention to the industry, but do you see potential in the marketplace for something so overtly minimalist? As hand-helds are getting more and more advanced and with mp3 playback and e-mail (or at least texting) capabilities coming as standard, do you think there would be a niche for such a categorically bare-bones device? I really wonder if such a beast (or non-beast, in this case) would sell in a marketplace where people demand to have so many features crammed into tiny packages. Just my $0.02. Peace, Hart No, I don't see much of a marketplace for such a thing , but I still want it. Aloha, Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSeasJim Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 That has nothing on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairySari Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hey Brad, sounds like you're describing a Newton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hey Brad, sounds like you're describing a Newton.Maybe, but I want a keyboard*. A Palm Pilot with a keyboard would also be close, but the screen on a Palm (and Newton) is too small, and the wrong form factor (I want a screen that's wider than it is tall), and I don't want to have to assemble something that has to be used on a hard surface.Aloha,Brad* My Mom made me take typing for two years in high school (very early 1980s). "Someday you'll thank me," she said, and indeed I have thanked her, many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 2.5 hours of battery life! hahahah! That makes the product absolutely useless as a portable device. Also, the whole concept of 'access everything anywhere' is a little bit of an exaggeratino considering there isn't wifi access everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartamophone Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 No, I don't see much of a marketplace for such a thing , but I still want it. Aloha, Brad I see. Sorry to step on the dream, brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 2.5 hours of battery life! hahahah! That makes the product absolutely useless as a portable device. Absolutely useless? I think that's a bit of an exageration. Most laptops only have 2.5 hours of battery life and I'd hardly call them 'absolutely useless'. Be careful you don't let your "Extreme Apple Advocacy" pinch off the blood flow to your brain. I see that happen far too often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I mean 'useless' as a portable media device, which it seems that they are pushing for in the numerous posts i've read. It isn't a laptop, and it does seem that the PC features are an added bonus to the 'media player', web browser. The low battery life, with a cost of $1000 USD doesn't make this look attractive compared to much more powerful laptops which can be bought for cheaper. I'm just suggesting that it's no big deal until it can run for 8 hours before recharging and becomes much cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now